3 Makeup Trends That’ll Dominate Festival Season, By TikTok’s Abby Roberts

With around 46 million people in the UK having received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and restrictions being lifted, this summer is shaping up to be a lot more social than the last. Even better, some of the outdoor festivals we look forward to every year are making a long-awaited comeback. You've already chosen your freedom outfit but what about makeup? It's fair to say summer festivals are all about making a statement and no one knows more about that than TikTok's buzziest makeup artist, Abby Roberts.

If you're obsessed with beauty and you have a TikTok account, you're probably just as captivated as we are by her inventive looks — whether cosplay, E-girl-inspired or low maintenance. Ahead of festival season, we asked Abby to dream up three wearable makeup trends that'll dominate the celebratory summer we've got lined up. Here's how to recreate every single Instagram-worthy look at home.

"I love doing heavier makeup and if you go to one of these types of events, you want to stand out a bit. Blush is such a big thing right now," says Abby. With this trend, layering is key for bold colour, as is placement. "If you really want to pack on a product, it has to be a powder," says Abby, "and the Dior Backstage Rosy Glow Blush is a huge trend coming out of TikTok," as it lends cheeks a cutesy, doll-like finish. "I would go in with a big fluffy brush to really achieve that intense colour payoff that you’re looking for," says Abby, who suggests blending the product up to your temples. "You want more of a snatched, sculpted, lifted finish — much like the E-girl look that's all over TikTok."

There's no denying TikTok has resurrected emo, and it's all about the eyeliner. "If you don’t want it to budge, liquid eyeliner is the way to go." Try Revolution Renaissance Flick Liquid Eyeliner Pen. Abby's top tip for fashioning the sharpest feline flick? "I always secure my elbow on my makeup desk," she says. "Put the pressure onto your arm rather than your face so the eyeliner pen isn't wiggling everywhere. To get it symmetrical, it helps if you look straight ahead into the mirror and draw that initial line with your eyes open. A mistake a lot of people make is drawing the wing with your eyes closed, and when you go to open them, it doesn’t look how you want it to." If you're not too keen on attempting winged liner, kohl is the way to go. "You’re at a festival so you've got to embrace it. Go in with a pencil and get a bit smudgy with a brush. No one’s going to judge you for it," says Abby.

The E-girl look is famous for bold lips, specifically "anime lips" says Abby: over-lined, accentuated and smudged. But she suggests something a little more pared back for summer. "On camera it looks great but in person it looks a little bit sus! For everyday, I prefer to use a lip liner so it doesn’t look questionable, and I'd go for a nude." Try Revolution Satin Kiss Lip Liner in Chauffeur. "Dark colours are so high maintenance and you’re going to have to top them up constantly. Sure, they look phenomenal, but they’re too high maintenance for me. With a nude shade, I don’t have to worry about how it looks when I don’t have a mirror on me." The trick is to take your lip liner right to the edge and fill in the centre with a clear gloss or matte liquid lipstick that will wear off naturally throughout the day.

"Festival face decorations have really changed throughout the years; it used to be more crystals, gems and glitter but I think people are going more towards big eye looks lately," says Abby, who rates Face Lace for making an impact. "They have some incredible designs. The adhesive makes application really easy and you get this amazing look that lasts all day." To keep things intact if it's hot outside, a little lash glue works wonders. Abby loves Face Lace's Donni Davy collection (a collaboration with the makeup artist who worked on Euphoria). "I like the cute star ones, which you can put all over your face if you want to. Just express yourself!" You can easily pair the dewy skin trend with this out-there look, adds Abby. "A really natural, fresh-looking base and a focus on the eyes works so well. Keep lips nude for easy wearability."

"Matte skin has been a thing online for quite a few years now and people are getting a bit sick of it, especially on TikTok," says Abby. "I’ve seen a lot of makeup artists coming through with more of a fresher look. There's a focus on natural-looking skin so I would use a foundation like the Anastasia Beverly Hills Luminous Foundation, which is amazing for achieving that dewiness." Abby recommends always applying your foundation with a BeautyBlender, rather than a brush or your fingers, so that you get a believable, skin-like finish.

"Hella blush is a very Gen Z thing right now," adds Abby, "and TikTok's blush trend is so intense. Makeup Revolution's Super Dewy Liquid Blush is my go-to right now, especially in the summer, as it’s nice to look a little sun-kissed. If you have a longer face, put the blush above the bridge of your nose and on the tip. I always put it here, as a little red nose looks cute." It lends the skin a sun-dappled feel. The colour of the blush depends on your skin's undertone, says Abby, but ripe peach hues work for everyone.

To pull the look together, it has to be TikTok's favourite: faux freckles. "There are so many different ways that you can do faux freckles, like freckles pens, for example, but the easiest way to do it if you don’t want to splash out is to use a contour or bronzer shade. I like Kevyn Aucoin's The Sculpting Powder. Put that on a little angled brush, dot it over your skin and tap over the freckles with a BeautyBlender or your fingertips to disperse the powder. It'll look really natural and anyone can do it." Abby finishes off with a dewy setting spray (Makeup Revolution Fix & Glow Setting Spray) for a long-lasting finish.